Andrus Speaks About Game 5 Meltdown

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Elvis Andrus is unable to catch the ball as Russell Martin slides safely into second base during the 7th inning of Game 5 of the ALDS at Rogers Centre Oct. 14 in Toronto. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

Elvis Andrus can't take full blame for the Rangers' Game 5 loss in the ALDS to Toronto back in October, but he deserves a good chunk of it.

The sure-gloved Andrus suddenly collapsed and fell apart in the devastating seventh inning of the game when he had a couple of errors and a couple of other misplays that simply just weren't scored as errors. It gave the Blue Jays the lead after the Rangers had claimed it in the top half of the inning, and they never gave it back.

Andrus joined the Rangers podcast with our colleagues at The Dallas Morning News and told Sportsday that he's moved past the rough inning, hopefully quelling people's concerns that he might never move past it.

Here's what Andrus had to say:

It's already in the past — people are going to keep talking, and asking questions about it — which I have no problem with, it's part of the game. Like I always say, unfortunately, I was the one in the middle — the star of the movie — for that. Like I said that day for the media, I take full responsibility for my actions, and it's something, as a player, I don't wish that happen to any other player, but it's baseball. You have to understand that part — deal with it.

It's been a long offseason because I just want to get back on the field, I want to get back and prove everybody wrong knowing that I'm a way better player than probably what I played that inning. But it's gone. Right now, just engaging the offseason the right way, having a plan for the next year with the right people right next to me that have been helping me since day one and continue to do so.

Really, the entire time, including that day in the postgame, Andrus has said all the right things, which you'd expect from a guy like him who's a leader in the clubhouse. You just hope it's all true and he really can move past the heartache of losing that game like someone like Neftali Feliz could never quite do post-2011.